1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for monitoring food quality, and more particularly to a method and a system for monitoring food quality which attach a sensor tag for detecting a change in an environment where a plurality of food is stacked in a container or on a palette, sense the change in the environment generated during transporting or sales of the food by using the sensor tag in real time, and evaluate food quality information in real time so as to provide the evaluated food quality information to a consumer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, traceability is introduced to food, which corresponds to a system providing information such as a product name of the food, a production area, and a production date to consumers, and such information on the food is recorded by a bar code or a register and then the bar code or register is provided.
However, the traceability of the food has a limitation in showing a lot of information through the bar code or register. Accordingly, a method of providing all histories generated during production, transporting, and distribution processes by using a radio frequency identification technique such as an RFID tag is currently used.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a technology of monitoring a state change generated during the transporting process of the food by using the RFID tag or a sensor tag is developed. However, the technology displays an expiration date and price corresponding to the most important factors of the food which are determined according to a food state when the food is shipped only on an outer surface of the package without evaluating food quality in real time. Accordingly, there is a problem in that an expiration date and price reflecting a quality index of the food or an actual quality worth of the food according to a change in a transporting environment of the food cannot be provided to the consumers.
Further, there is a problem in that a quality index of the food or an actual quality worth of the food according to a change in a transporting environment cannot be accurately obtained since a sensing time of the sensor tag cannot be adjusted according to an environment change generated during the transporting process of the food.
Moreover, there is a problem in that an individual quality analysis item is set according to a characteristic and a nutritional content of the food and a state of the food is evaluated according to the individual quality analysis item of the food, so that a quality index of the nutritional content remaining in the food or the remainder of the expiration date according to an environment change generated during the transporting and distribution processes of the food cannot be provided to the consumers.
In order to solve the above problems, a food quality monitoring method should be developed.
A conventional food quality monitoring method attaches a sensor tag to a container or palette on which a plurality of food is stacked, senses a change in an environmental factor generated during a transporting process in real time by using a sensor tag, and monitors a quality change in the food so as to manage food quality and determine a price of the food according to the quality change in the food, thereby reducing food in stock and increasing efficiency in operation.
However, according to a general food distribution process, the food is moved from a production area to a distribution company and then to a retail store.
The conventional food monitoring method can be used in the distribution process between the production area and the distribution company.
That is, since products are distributed in the unit of containers or palettes on which a plurality of food is stacked from the production area to the distribution company, it is possible to sense the change in the environmental factor generated during the transporting process in real time by using a sensor tag attached in the unit of containers or palettes.
However, the products provided in the unit of palettes from the distribution company to the retail store are sold by the piece to the consumers.
Accordingly, by selling the products distributed in the unit of palettes by the piece, the monitoring of the food sold by the piece is difficult.